In the Greek's Bed: The Greek Tycoon's Wife / The Greek Millionaire's Marriage / The Greek Surgeon

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She supposed it was the thought of Tom’s uncritical adoration that brought the thin sneer to his lips. As far as Nikos was concerned she would never be good enough for his friend or him.

‘I’m not so sure,’ she mused half to herself as her thoughts turned to Tom’s love of all things beautiful and perfect.

It was only his way of talking but sometimes, when Tom referred to her as his most precious possession, it made her uncomfortable. Tom liked his possessions in mint condition; if anything fell below the high standards he demanded he got rid of it. He had laughed and called Katie hopelessly sentimental when, after dropping a valuable vase, she hadn’t let him throw it away.

‘You bought it for me that day we went to an antique fair, and if I turn it like this,’ she explained, ‘you won’t be able to see the crack at all.

‘It’s not worth anything now. I’ll buy you another one.’ He looked perplexed when she told him a new one wouldn’t be the same.

‘No, because then it won’t have a flaw,’ he replied drily.

Would he buy another wife just as easily when the old one got too worn? Katie was immediately ashamed of the unbidden thought.

‘You place a high value on your looks and a low one on yourself.’

The stinging contempt in Nikos’s voice brought Katie’s attention swinging back to his face. She discovered he was angry. Inexplicably and impressively furious.

‘If people can’t see beyond your beautiful face and attractive figure, don’t you see that that is their problem, not yours?’

Katie blinked in bewilderment at the harsh reproach in his voice. He thought she had a beautiful face…?

‘I…’ She bit back a cry of pain as his lean fingers tightened painfully around her bruised ankle.

Nikos immediately loosened his grip. ‘I’m sorry I hurt you.’

‘Not really,’ she lied.

He grunted and slid her a look of irritation. Supporting her ankle against his own knee, he proceeded to roll the tubular bandage into a manageable shape.

‘I would ask you to tell me if it hurts, but—’ he raised his dark head from his task and there was an ironic gleam in his eyes ‘—I’d be wasting my time, wouldn’t I?’

Katie doubted any pain could be worse than that sharp but sweet pleasure of having his fingers brush lightly against her skin.

‘Thank you,’ she said quietly when the support was back in place.

Nikos finished smoothing invisible wrinkles from the bandage over the curve of her calf and lifted his head; there was a faint flush along his high cheekbones. ‘It was hardly brain surgery. Sit there,’ he added. ‘I’ll bring you some food.’

‘Oh! I thought I’d just take something to my room.’

One side of his mobile lips dropped. ‘Running away?’

‘I can’t run.’

‘That’s true. I don’t like to eat alone; stay.’

Not likely. ‘All right, I’ll stay,’ she heard herself reply. ‘It seems a strange time of night to be eating.’ But then it had been a strange day.

‘You eat when you are hungry.’

Katie smiled at this simplistic philosophy; it was very Nikos.

‘People have far too many hang-ups about food,’ he revealed. ‘How’s this?’ he added, passing her a laden plate.

‘If I had any hang-ups about food I’d faint, but it looks great.’ Her enthusiasm sounded false and hollow to her own ears; it was the fault of his slow-burning smile, the one that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

‘We can pretend we’re having a midnight feast, is that not what they do in English schools?’

‘Not the one I went to,’ Katie replied, thinking of the local comprehensive she had attended. She imagined it was a far cry from the sort of school Nikos had gone to. In fact her life was a far cry from his.

‘Were you clever at school?’

‘Not particularly,’ she replied, suspicious of his interest. ‘But I was very popular.’ She gave a sudden impish grin that gave him a glimpse of the dry sense of humour that she had not had much opportunity to display in his company. ‘But only because I had an extraordinarily handsome twin brother. You’d be amazed at how many girls wanted to come home for tea with me.’

‘You were a twin?’

Katie, her mouth full of sandwich, nodded.

‘It must have been especially hard for you to lose him,’ he mused. Katie didn’t reply; talking about Peter was still hard. ‘What sort of man was your brother?’

Katie considered the question.

‘He was handsome, impetuous, funny…’ She stopped and flicked a wry look towards Nikos—best to beat him to the punchline. ‘In short he was the exact opposite of me.’

He didn’t dispute her assessment. ‘You were the sensible twin?’

His perception was spooky; Peter had been the creative, impulsive twin and she had been the practical, grounded one.

‘Peter was very special,’ she said quietly.

‘My brother was older, and we were not particularly close. It was hard on my father when he died—Dimitri was his favourite.’

It was impossible to tell from his impassive expression whether he had minded this. Katie, seeing him as a little boy trying to gain parental approval, discovered that she had enough indignation for them both.

‘He was groomed to take over virtually from birth. When we lost him my father literally almost worked himself to death because he didn’t think I could fill my brother’s shoes.’

And psychologists wondered why children went off the rails! With fathers around like the insensitive clot Nikos was describing it was a wonder any children ever turned out normal!

‘That’s so unfair!’ she blurted out angrily. She flushed as he shot her a strange look. ‘I just hope,’ she added stiffly, ‘I never make any child of mine feel inadequate,’ she declared fiercely.

If Nikos had ever had any inadequacies he had obviously worked through them long ago—it was hard to imagine anyone more assured and confident than he was.

‘And do you plan on having any children soon?’

Katie sighed. ‘Tom doesn’t think it would be a good idea to start a family for a few years yet.’

Nikos suspected she was unaware of how wistful she sounded. ‘And you?’ he probed gently.

‘You shouldn’t have a baby to fill a gap in your life.’